, first in The Keepers series by Lian Tanner. Goldie lives in Jewel -- a city that is so afraid of anything bad happening to their children that they keep them on leashes until the age of eighteen and shelter them to a ridiculous point. When Goldie (short for Golden) decides to make her escape one day, she ends up hiding in the Museum of Dunt, a magical place where all of the danger and trouble of the town has been secretly hidden. And when corrupt leaders in the city decide to unleash the darkness in order to gain more power, it's up to Goldie and the museum keepers to stop them.Though it took a while to become oriented in this strange and unpredictable world, this book really paid off by the end. Goldie is a great heroine who makes a lot of difficult decisions but gets through tough times by listening to her instincts. She isn't perfect but she is willing to learn. And the supporting characters in the book are quite interesting as well. The museum keepers are a unique bunch of misfits. One small complaint was that the villains were extremely shallow characters. But at the same time, I will admit that they made my heart leap into my throat many times. They were quite scary!
The novel was somewhat obvious in its critique of "helicopter parenting" and I'm sure that there will be some kids who are reading it that will feel a bit of familiarity with Goldie's frustrations at never being allowed off her leash (literally). I wonder if those overprotective parents who read this book with their children will be horrified by the dangerous situations that Goldie and Toadspit (another runaway) get into or if they will realize that children are more capable of bravery, ingenuity and strength when they are given the opportunity to develop these characteristics as they are growing up. I know that it made me rethink the way that I am raising Z. I certainly wasn't expecting that going into this book!
Cutting the leash (or at least lengthening it a bit),
K
Support our site and buy Museum of Thieves
on Amazon or find it at your local library. We received an advance reader's copy from the publisher.
, was released this past summer and I was slightly less impressed, mostly because Tarquin Hall already seems to have fallen into a pattern and this is only the second novel in the series. The following things happen in both novels --
and 
The Christmas staple in my parents' home (besides the Bible and my mom's favorite, 
) was, of course, The Night Before Christmas by Clement C. Moore, written all the way back in 1822. I think we had a pop-up version that made the story really come to life. Now, in my own home, we have had a version illustrated by 
for years now but it's always nice to change it up. This year we've acquired a new version, illustrated by Australian 
. It's a little different because it's twice as long -- one page per two-line rhyming couplet. The print is also larger which makes it perfect for emerging readers. Z is getting really good at memorizing poems and so I think it will be fun to work on getting through this one together this year. I'm always good until Papa looks out the window (something about "new-fallen snow" and "mid-day below") and then I need a little help from the book!
If your family leans toward the untraditional or modern, we also have 
by Mercer Mayer which comes with a read-along cd. The language in this one has been updated a bit (ie, St. Nicholas becomes Santa Claus). I'm a bit of a purist so I'll stick with the original but I know that many children respond better to cartoons and slightly more modern language. However, if I am going to mess with a classic, I like to take it all the way -- like with 
There are a few other Christmas classics in our home as well. First we have a shiny "Party Edition" of 
by Dr. Seuss (1957), which is a must read every year. Mmm ... roast beast. Next is E.T.A. Hoffmann's slightly disturbing 
(1981). I think that Richard Scarry is definitely a staple for my generation. With caroling sheet music, short stories and a board game, this is a great book for the impatient weeks leading up to the holiday. There's even an instruction section on how to make a pomander (although I don't see Gold Bug anywhere)!
I've become a fan of paper toys recently and there's a great new book by Marilyn Scott Waters that has some great punch-and-fold designs -- 
Of course, if you don't celebrate Christmas there are tons of great winter books out there as well. Two years ago we featured 
, a new release by editors Duffy and Elizabeth Laul Healey, is a great coffee-table book that shares why the ocean is important, what is already being done to protect it and what needs to happen going forward. The book uses from one paragraph to three pages to highlight many of the people that are working hard to protect our largest and most important natural resource. It is presented in a question and answer interview format that really brings forward these important voices for conservation and change -- from scientist Sylvia Earle to musician Jack Johnson, attorney Robert Kennedy, Jr. to surfer Kelly Slater. You can see a list of all of the contributors at the Sea Voices 
After reading three Sarah Waters novels, I'm now able to start ranking them. The Little Stranger is my favorite so far, followed by Fingersmith. In third place (and likely to stay at the bottom) is 
. It wasn't the strong sexuality of the novel that bothered me but rather the plot lines that were based on ridiculous coincidences.
